ENG-1976 — Page 220

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COMMUNICATIONS AND TRANSPORT

There are extensive facilities in Hong Kong for the repair, maintenance and dry- docking or slipping of all types and classes of vessels of up to 35,000 tons deadweight and up to 750 feet in length and 88 feet beam. The government is considering proposals to expand some of these facilities and to transfer them from the central harbour area to a new location on the west coast of Tsing Yi Island, and also to establish new facilities there. There is already a floating dry dock off Tsing Yi with a lifting capacity of 100,000 tons deadweight. Hong Kong has more than 130 minor shipyards equipped to undertake repairs to small vessels. These yards also build specialised craft, particu- larly sophisticated pleasure craft and yachts.

Hong Kong is a prominent centre for recruiting seamen and more than 26,000 Hong Kong seamen serve on board some 1,440 foreign-going vessels of various nationalities. The Seamen's Recruiting Office and the Mercantile Marine Office register and supervise the employment of seamen on board vessels of all flags. The Mariners' clubs in Kowloon and Kwai Chung provide recreational and welfare facilities of a high standard for visiting seamen of all nationalities.

In September Hong Kong hosted a United Nations Economic and Social Com- mission for Asia and the Pacific (UN/ESCAP) seminar on port development for unit loads and containerisation. People from 13 countries took part. Also during the year, the United Nations Commission for Trade and Development (UNCTAD), assisted by the Hong Kong Government, sponsored port training fellowships to Hong Kong for trainees from Thailand.

Roads

Some $196.7 million was spent on construction of major highway projects and $49 million on improvements and maintenance in 1976. The total length of roads maintained by the government at the end of the year was 1 085 kilometres, com- prising 342 kilometres on Hong Kong Island, 325 kilometres in Kowloon and 418 kilometres in the New Territories.

On Hong Kong Island, projects completed during the year included the widening of Shek Pai Wan Road to improve road communications between Pok Fu Lam and Aberdeen; the construction of a new road for the Hing Wah public housing estate; and the erection across Queen's Road East near Wah Yan College of a steel footbridge for pedestrians—particularly children attending the adjacent schools. Work was begun early in the year on the widening of Pok Fu Lam Road between Mount Davis Road and Queen Mary Hospital and the construction of a new road linking Hollywood Road and Queen's Road Central. Other projects started included the construction of the Canal Road flyover extension to improve traffic conditions in the Morrison Hill area and also to provide the northern approach to the proposed Aberdeen tunnel; junction improvement schemes at the upper and lower ends of Garden Road to improve the traffic flow between Central and Mid-Levels districts; the reconstruction of Queen's Road East; and the improvement of the signal-controlled junction of Stubbs Road with Queen's Road East. Consulting engineers carried out detailed designs for the Tai Hang Road flyover, the Robinson Road/Old Peak Road/Glenealy interchange complex, and Stage I of the eastern corridor project from Causeway

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